Cuba - a foot in the door

Mariusa Reyes Reporting from Cuba

Living room libraries are the unlikely vanguard of political opposition in Cuba.

Mariusa Reyes meets some of the independent librarians who are risking prison to offer banned books.

She also attends the first American trade fair in Havana for 40 years - armed with pork lard, processed cheese and turkey drumsticks.

Hundreds of businessmen have come to Havana to make contacts, waiting for the embargo to fall.

Meanwhile on the streets, ordinary people use food ration books and whatever hustle they can dream up to feed their families.

You can listen to Mariusa Reyes on Crossing Continents and read producer Keith Morris's account of the Cuban visit in the web feature.

Crossing Continents: Cuba - a foot in the door
Thursday 21 November 2002 on BBC Radio 4 at 1100 GMT
The programme is repeated Monday 25 November 2002 on BBC Radio 4 at 2030 GMT

Correspondent: Mariusa Reyes
Producer: Keith Morris
Editor: Maria Balinska
Online Producer: Andrew Jeffrey